


New Car

by Tobyaudax



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-22 08:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3721852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tobyaudax/pseuds/Tobyaudax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spurred by gossip surrounding his relationship with Videl, Gohan purchases a car to appease the paparazzo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Car

**Author's Note:**

> Most- if not all- of my stories use metric measurements. And I know most people call Mr. Satan "Hercule", but his DB Wiki page reads that Toriyama says his real name is "Mark", like an anagram for Akuma, which is Japanese for "devil". Plus I just really like the sound of "Mark Satan".

Gohan stood at the edge of the lot, nervously shuffling a foot in the grit and road dust. He squinted down the rows of neatly parked cars, examining a few but having no idea for what he was looking. He and Videl had made their relationship official a little more than two months ago. And the media, having had nothing to report on since the end of the Budokai, instantly latched onto the story of their “whirlwind teen romance". The whole thing made Gohan deeply uncomfortable and was only made worse when things about his private life crept into the public eye.

He weathered the reveal of his teddy bear underwear, having switched to plain briefs immediately after the original incident. His friends and family had been concerned that his past and true power would come to light. Though they didn’t have to worry on either front. The focus of the newshounds and tabloids alike had turned to the decidedly mundane- Gohan didn’t have his driver’s license. He didn’t even have a learner’s permit! On top of all that, his family only owned one car. Not one of the television stations, newspapers or magazines bothered to look into Gohan’s history after that. They were far too interested in how an average, country-bumpkin boy could date the Daughter of Mr. Satan and not, at least, have a sweet set of wheels.

So there he was, the most powerful man (teenager) in the universe, checking out cars at the best dealership in Satan City. Mr. Satan and Videl were supposed to meet him there- Satan had insisted on giving him a portion of the money for the vehicle and ChiChi had then bullied the man into making it 75 percent of the cost- but his girlfriend had called and informed him that they were held up on their doorstep for yet another impromptu interview. He’d only been on the lot for a minute before a salesman walked briskly out of the office and approached him with a tight smile. Gohan didn’t miss the way the man sized him up, no doubt looking at his clothes and the bewildered expression on his face. Fortunately- or unfortunately, for Gohan- the man recognised him from the various media in which he’d appeared.

"Well how about this," he guffawed, his voice much larger then he was. “Look who I’ve got at my humble  dealership! Satan’s own protégé, finally getting a car. Couldn’t take the pressure anymore, eh kid?"

"Uh, I guess," Gohan laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I just got my permit and, well, I’m not really sure  _what_  I should be driving. I don’t know too much about cars-"

"Say no more, kiddo! Ol’ Cruise has your back." The man straightened his name tag- which did, indeed, read “Cruise"- with one hand and reached out to shake Gohan’s with the other. He winced when Gohan squeezed a little too hard in his nervousness, but otherwise kept up his cool demeanor. “Quit a grip you have there, boy! I can tell Satan’s teaching you well!"

"Heh, okay, sure." Gohan nodded and smiled at the man, having no idea what else to say. He’d gotten his permit the previous weekend after several weeks of intensive training with Piccolo. Gokuu had stepped in on a few occasions, but both ChiChi and Piccolo sent him away, pointing out his many speeding and parking tickets. Apparently Son Gokuu couldn’t excel at everything.

"So you don’t know what you’re looking for- that’s okay. The first car is a pretty important decision, though. Let’s just take a walk and you let me know if anything catches your eye. You like sports, Gohan?"

It was unnerving for so many strangers to know his name without being previously introduced, but he was getting used to it. “Uh, sure. I like baseball; a friend of mine’s on the Taitans-"

"Uh huh, they’re doing great this year. How about this little number, son?" They stopped beside a very small, bright green convertible. “She’s not the best on mileage, but she’s certainly showy enough to be seen around the city. I can get you a pretty good rate, too- just ignore the sticker price for right now."

Gohan walked around the tiny car, kicked a tire as he’d seen people do in movies and bent over to peer inside. He glanced at the sticker on the windshield and fell down. How could something so small- and with admittedly poor kilometers to the gallon- cost six figures?! Cruise stared down at him for a moment before hesitantly offering him a hand. Gohan smiled too-wide and shook his head quickly, scrambling to his feet. He could go toe-to-toe with intergalactic monsters, but buying a car was going to kill him. “It’s uh, it’s a  _little_  out of my price range,” he laughed, his voice much higher on “little”. “And too small- I’m sorry.”

“No, no, don’t be sorry, kiddo,” Cruise patted him on the back and steered him away from the coupe. “She’s a little too flashy for a boy your age. Not everyone can pull off a beauty like that…”

The salesman seemed to be waiting for something. His face was unreadable as he looked up at Gohan, then glanced once, suggestively, back at the car. Gohan nodded and gave him a normal smile. “Yeah, that’s just, uh, too much for a guy like me. Can we- let’s keep looking.”

He moved forward, not waiting for Cruise, casting his eyes around for something much more low-key. He found it in a simple, steel-grey, four-door sedan. “Hey, this one looks great! …Good mileage, all _kindsa_ handy features…” He read some of the specifications off the paper in the passenger window. As he was calculating monthly payments off the sticker price, Cruise came up beside him and let out a short, barking laugh.

“Are you serious? You’re messing with me, right? Pullin’ ol’ Cruise’s leg? This is  _not_  the car for you, my man.”

“It- it’s not? But it has just the right amount of things- features! And my ma can use it to pick up groceries-“

“Son, this car doesn’t even have a Capsule feature. It’s an older model and frankly, I don’t know what it’s even doing on my lot.”

“And it’s used, so you could lower the price a bit-“

“ _And it’s used!_  No way is Mr. Mark Satan’s star pupil gonna be seen around town in a junker like this- c’mon, I don’t even  _know_  why you’re in the  _Used_  lot…”

* *

An hour passed before Mr. Satan and Videl arrived. Father and daughter went right into the main office and were handed cool drinks and a plate of appetizers. Satan dropped into a comfortable chair and immediately struck up conversation with a few of the younger salesmen, forcefully directing their eyes away from Videl and capturing their attention with talk of cars and fights. Videl hunted through the entire building for Gohan, but couldn’t find him. She made her way back to the entry and waved off the refreshments and compliments from a boy that had escaped the knot around her dad.

“Okay, where’s Gohan?” she demanded, arms folded and foot tapping.

The salesmen- and two saleswomen- glanced at each other, and then out into the lot. Videl rolled her eyes and marched outside, peering around and between vehicles. She caught sight of a shock of black hair at the outskirts of the Used section.  _Now what’s he doing back there? Daddy gave him more than enough for a_ new _car_ … Videl hadn’t liked that her father was catering to the media, that he was giving in to public image and insisting Gohan basically ‘look the part’ of a ‘worthy’ boyfriend. But the only person more stubborn than herself was her father. She didn’t care about cars or fashion or where anyone came from.

Videl Satan loved Son Gohan and that was all there was to it- everyone else be damned. She made her way through the lot and stopped beside the extremely exasperated salesman that was barely taller than she. “-not a good fit, guy,” the man was saying. “You’re dating  _Videl Satan_ \- the Champ’s daughter- his  _only_ daughter! A honey like that needs to be seen in a cherry ride-“

“I’ll be seen in whatever kind of ride Gohan wants,” Videl snarled. “And don’t you  _dare_  call me a “honey” again or I’ll kick your ass into next month.”

The salesman- “Cruise”- paled and dug a finger into his shirt collar. He nodded several times, stuttered apologies and stopped short of begging for his life- or to keep his job. Videl sniffed and turned her nose up at him, swiveling to grin at her boyfriend. “You find anything you like?”

Gohan looked beyond relieved to see her. He returned her smile and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “It’s an older model, but it looks  _really_  sturdy and Ma’ll be able to use it during the week for groceries-“

“Gohan. We’re here to get a car for  _you_ , not your mom. What does it- oh sweetie, no.”

The pair- with Cruise trailing behind- stopped in front of the sedan on which Gohan hadn’t given up. Videl shook her head slowly and planted her fists on her hips. “You’re not serious.”

“Sure I am- it’s great! And it’s blue, just like your eyes!”

“No, this… _thing_ is ‘grey’. I know Dad said to get whatever you wanted, but this is, like… it’s an  _old lady_ car, Gohan. C’mon, let’s go back to the new models.”

“See, man? What’d I tell you! Miss Videl knows a dud when she sees one. The really good ones are this-a-way.”

Cruise had regained his confidence and jauntily led the couple back towards the main lot. Gohan spent the short walk trying to quietly convince Videl that the sedan was a great buy. Videl tuned him out and cast her eyes around the shining vehicles, looking for something to appease her sweet, simple boyfriend. Cruise was hovering between two flamboyant convertibles and looking very pleased with himself. Videl breezed past him, narrowing her gaze triumphantly at a vehicle near the main entrance.

“Look at this one, Gohan!” She called, turning and waving to him. He trudged over, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets.  _He’s so cute when he pouts_. Videl stood to one side and threw her arms out dramatically; presenting the deep blue, very sleek, four-door Capsule sedan. “It has all the stuff you like about  _that_  one, but  _this_  one is much prettier! Ooh, look- it has heated seats and a “moon roof”! Isn’t it nice?”

Gohan perked up and walked around the car. He looked at the tires, crouched down and peered at the undercarriage. He stooped to read the stats and calculate the kilometers-per-gallon. Videl covered her mouth while she watched him- for someone who had no idea what he was looking for or at, he was being very thorough.

“Well, it doesn’t have the  _best_  KPGs, but it  _does_  have a good warranty option. And if it does anything funny, I guess I can always take it to Bulma or her dad- they did design it…”

“Lemme just get the keys and you kids can take ‘er out for a spin! Back in a sec!” Cruise practically skipped into the office. Videl flashed Gohan a huge smile and the victory sign. He chuckled and returned the gesture, carefully leaning on the car to wait.

“Do we really need to drive this thing? I’m sure it’s fine,” Gohan squinted into the building, observing Cruise jogging down a line of sales people and receiving high-fives. She shrugged and tried the passenger side door- it was locked.

“No, but he seems so eager. We might as well make his little day.”

“Videl!”

“He called me “a honey”, Gohan. The guy’s a jerk.” She ran a hand through her bangs, tilting her head and studying her reflection in the car’s window. “You’re right-“ She sighed. “Let’s just go fill out the papers and spend the rest of the day at the beach. You’ll drive us there, of course.”

“We can both fly; I still don’t really understand why I need a car.”

“Because if we’re not in costume and go flying around, it’ll draw  _way_  too much attention.  _And_  driving is fun! You’ll see. It’s a nice, human thing to do.” She nudged him with her elbow and winked. Gohan grinned, shaking his head. They walked, arm in arm, into the main office, arriving to cheers and applause. Gohan blushed and ducked his head; Videl hugged his arm to her and gave his bicep a consolatory pat.

“Congratulations on your first car, Son!” Mr. Satan beamed, slapping Gohan on the back.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Great choice, too- does my little girl have an eye for cars or what!” Satan guffawed and ruffled Videl’s hair. She mumbled and swatted at his hand, her blush rivaling Gohan’s.

*

The paperwork took considerably less time than he’d thought and Gohan was certain it was only simple because of Mr. Satan’s fame. He couldn’t complain though- almost anything that got him out of the dealership faster would have been welcome. They were escorted out of the building and even given a gift basket filled with treats Gohan intended to devour the moment they arrived at the ocean. Mr. Satan called his limo, joking with the sales people while he waited. Gohan and Videl sat in the car, testing all the buttons and turning up the air conditioner to its highest setting. Gohan remained quiet until Satan was whisked away and the sales staff returned to the building. He watched Videl search for a radio station for a few moments, then let out a choked sob.

She turned her head sharply to stare at him, alarmed. “Wha-?”

“It’s a stick shift!" He wailed. "Piccolo only showed me how to drive automatic!”


End file.
